Four UH facilities up for AIA Honolulu Peoples’ Choice Award

The Honolulu chapter of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently asked the community to vote for this year’s AIA Honolulu Peoples’ Choice Award for their 2013 Design Awards. The University of Hawaiʻi boasts four entries from several campuses. Voting took place between June 14–28 and the winner will be announced during the AIA Honolulu Design Awards Gala on July 24.

The ʻIke Leʻa Science Building at UH Maui College fosters a highly collaborative atmosphere for both students and faculty with its open spaces that encourage cooperative learning. The facility integrates multiple renewable energy technologies including photovoltaic and wind turbine electricity generation as well as a vegetated roof deck. View the entry.

The breathtaking Windward Community College Library Learning Commons is an example of how architecture can contribute to the advancement of education and technology in the 21st century. Besides being the first green library in Hawaiʻi, the Library Learning Commons includes other modern features like a media center, classrooms and a coffee shop. The facility features state-of-the-art technology and furniture made of recycled materials, while the three-story atrium brings in natural daylight, perfect for midday studying. View the entry.

The construction of the UH West Oʻahu campus fulfills the demand for accessible higher education for the growing population in the ʻEwa plain. Providing accessible higher education for a region historically underserved had long been a goal and the six buildings that make up the first phase of the new campus is a great start. After the opening of the new campus in 2012, enrollment has grown to more than 1,900 students with an increase of 40 percent over the past two years. View the entry.

The new UH Cancer Center building provides a state-of-the-art environment for wet and dry laboratory research while breaking new ground in building sustainability and energy efficiency. The design and construction of biomedical research laboratories is highly technical in itself, but this project also faced the challenge of creating a center that embodied the environmental qualities of life in Hawaiʻi. The themes of science and cultural connections to the land, sea, earth and sky are depicted in the center’s color schemes, natural materials, naturally ventilated breezeways and convertible conference center. View the entry.